


root of the problem

by darkm



Category: GOT7
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Plants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 00:19:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6831313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkm/pseuds/darkm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaebum has plenty of problems: deciding what coffee he wants, the dramatic hissy fits in his friend group, whether he should cook or get take out; but they all pale in comparison to the one at hand. Youngjae's asked him to take care of his apartment, and therefore, his potted plant. That's all fine and dandy, except Jaebum can't deal with plants. At all. Every single plant he's ever touched in his life has wilted and died. </p><p>But it won't happen this time, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	root of the problem

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!  
> im relatively new to the fandom, and extremely new to writing rpf -- this is my first fic ever, in fact -- so i hope this is up to par. i realize i probably wrote jb and yj differently than they actually are, so i’m sorry about that. if im missing anything i definitely shouldn’t have, or if there is something i could add to make this better, please let me know.  
> in my opinion, the fic kinda starts off rough but then gets better as it goes.  
> anyways, please enjoy as much as you can

  
  


 

“I’m so sorry this is last minute, but I need a big favor,” Youngjae says, a pleading expression and puppy eyes already on his face. Jaebum was a goner at the first word, to be completely honest. No one can resist Youngjae and his puppy eyes;  _ especially _ not Jaebum, who already has a soft spot for anything cute. 

 

And, well, Youngjae  _ is _ cute.

 

Objectively speaking, of course.

 

Jaebum just nods his agreement -- it doesn’t matter what the favor is, he knows he’ll be doing it without a fuss. Youngjae bursts into a bright smile and throws his arms around Jaebum, hugging probably a bit too tight and probably for a bit too long. Jaebum doesn’t complain.

 

Youngjae quickly digs through his backpack, and pulls out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and an envelope. The paper looks suspiciously like a list. Maybe a grocery list? Does Youngjae need him to go grocery shopping for him? But … that’s kind of a weird favor, right?

 

All is explained when Youngjae smooths the paper and says, “The favor, uh, -- you know how I’m going to see my parents? -- I really need someone to house sit for me while I’m gone. Ah, wait, I guess it would be apartment sit, wouldn’t it, since I live in an apartment, not a house…”

 

Youngjae trails off, looking a bit nervous. Jaebum takes a bit longer than usual to process the request. He knows the words  _ house, _ and  _ sit, _ separately, but he’s not sure what they’re supposed to mean  _ together. _ He’s never heard that term before. The confusion must show on his face, because Youngjae clarifies.

 

“You know, like babysit, but for my apartment,” he says, and oh, _ that’s _ what it means. It makes sense, it really does, it’s just he’s never heard anyone use the phrase. Leave it to Youngjae to bring out phrases even Jaebum doesn’t know; he’s always using old terms that his parents -- or, even worse, his grandparents -- used to say all the time. The one that comes to mind the most is _ the bee’s knees. _ Youngjae says that all the time, and completely unironically, too. With anyone else, the quirk would be obnoxious, but with Youngjae it’s absolutely endearing.

 

Jaebum realizes that Youngjae is waiting for something, probably for him to respond. He nods again -- is that the only thing he knows how to do? -- and Youngjae seems pleased enough. Then, it occurs to him that he doesn’t even know what  _ apartment sitting _ would entail. Sure, now he knows the word’s  _ meaning, _ but not what it  _ really means. _

 

\-- Language is stupid, he decides, after using the same word to describe two different things. Who came up with all these words, and these meanings? Whose great idea was it to give four meanings to a single word, or have something be able to be described with ten? 

 

It doesn’t matter, he tells himself. He’s got better things to focus on. Like finding out what apartment sitting means. What it  _ really _ means, he means. 

 

_ Damn it. _ \--

 

“What would babysitting your apartment mean?” Jaebum asks, cursing himself for using the word _ ‘mean.’ _ He should have said included, or entailed, or consist of, or, or -- anything but  _ mean. _ He clarifies, just for the sake of being clear, more for himself than anything, and says, “Like, what would I have to do?”

 

“Oh, that’s easy,” Youngjae answers, waving a hand dismissively in the air. Jaebum snorts. Handing the piece of paper and envelope to Jaebum, Youngjae explains, “Basically, you water my plants, get the mail, open the windows for circulation. That type of stuff.”

 

Jaebum stares down at the envelope, with a vague key shaped lump in the middle. The piece of paper has anything he needs to know, what he has to do. There’s not much that hadn’t already been mentioned. Run the water for a bit to make sure the pipes work. Trash day. The like. 

 

Then it hits him.

 

“Wait, you want me to  _ take care of your plants _ while you’re gone?” Jaebum asks incredulously. Everyone that was anyone knew his relationship with plants. It’s not pretty. “You know every plant I touch dies, and you  _ still _ picked me?”

 

Youngjae smiles at him, and honestly Jaebum would have taken the smile as an answer, but he does say, “You’re the only one I would trust with my extra apartment key. Mark would, I’m 82.3% sure, lose the key. Jinyoung would re-organize my books by title, not author, that barbarian. Jackson would never have the patience to come all the way to my apartment every day for,” Youngjae rolls his eyes and does air quotes here,  _ “no reason. _ Yugyeom and Bambam, well … they’re just Yugyeom and Bambam. I don’t trust them with my apartment.”

 

Jaebum can’t help himself from laughing. All those accusations are very true. He almost forgot how, once, Jinyoung actually  _ did _ re-organize Youngjae’s entire apartment. Youngjae had trouble locating his stuff for more than a week. 

 

“Alright, say no more,” Jaebum says. He gets it. Youngjae smiles at him again, all dimples and eye crinkles. That pretty much seals the deal. Just in case, though, Jaebum does ask, “Would you be disappointed, if, -- you know,  _ theoretically, _ \-- your plant was dead when you got back?”

 

Youngjae pauses, like he’s actually thinking about it. He opens his mouth, and closes it again, likely trying to find the best way to phrase it. Eventually, hands bunched in his sweater, his cheeks reddening just a bit, he answers, “Of course I’d be disappointed. I’ve had that plant for a long time, we’ve been through a lot together. But I’m not worried, because, well, it’s you … and I trust you.”

 

Jaebum wonders how hard it was for him to say that. Youngjae has told him time and again that he’s not great with compliments, he can’t give or take them easily. For him to say something as … as  _ sentimental _ as that is a big deal. So, of course, Jaebum vows then and there that he would do anything in his power for this apartment. Jaebum is going to babysit Youngjae’s apartment like a professional, nothing’s going to die, and he’s going to get over his curse of killing plants. 

 

“Okay. Your apartment is in good hands. Nothing will go wrong, and your plant will be just as alive as you left it,” Jaebum promises, and he really means it. If he has any say in the matter, that plant will  _ not _ die. It won’t die, because it’s Youngjae’s, and Youngjae said he trusted Jaebum. Patting Youngjae on the shoulder, Jaebum says, “Now go pack. I know you leave tonight.”

 

“Thank you, thank you!” Youngjae squeals, hugging Jaebum again, before letting go and darting out of Jaebum’s own apartment. He turns around in the doorway just long enough to wave and shout another thank you. Jaebum watches him go with a fondness that always seems to pop up at the most random of times.

 

**\---**

 

The next day, after a well-timed alarm from his phone titled  _ WATER THE PLANT, _ Jaebum easily finds himself in front of Youngjae’s apartment. He weighs the key in his hand, takes a deep breath, and enters the apartment. This is fine. Nothing’s going to go wrong. He can do this. Everything’s fine. This’ll be a breeze. 

 

Except everything’s  _ not _ fine. It’s not fine at all, because he’s taking care of Youngjae’s precious plant, and he’s never been ever to keep a plant alive. Ever. No one even knows why. He just … can’t. Sure, he’s great with kids and animals, but for whatever reason, he’s inherently terrible with plants. 

 

Jaebum slumps down in a chair at the small dining table and allows himself a few minutes to be dramatic. What dramatic entails is basically remembering all the times he’s killed a plant, and then complaining about it to the empty apartment. He faces the plant carefully arranged on the dining table and tells it, “Did you know I’m terrible with plants? One time, Jinyoung bought me a fake plant as a joke -- after we found out my curse -- but I still somehow made the  _ fake, green leaves _ turn brown. That was years ago. We still don’t know how I did that.”

 

The plant doesn’t respond. Jaebum feels satisfied though; at least he warned the plant what its future most likely looks like. A safety precaution of sorts. Now that he looks at it, the plant is actually really pretty. The green leaves are shaped like a clover, and there is beautiful white blossoms scattered through the green. Along with the colorful pot and the circular panel underneath to catch the water, the arrangement really brings life to the apartment. 

 

“Please don’t die,” Jaebum tells the plant, leaning forward to smell the petals. He pauses, nervous. It doesn’t smell like much, just like leaves. He’s not sure if that’s supposed to happen. “Are you already dying on me? Is that why I can’t smell anything?”

 

Again, the plant doesn’t respond. He isn’t sure why he even waited. Maybe he’s procrastinating. Give the poor plant even one more minute to live. Since he’s a gentleman, obviously. Jaebum snorts and thumps his head on the table. Muffled by the wood, he asks the plant, “Any last words?”

 

He’s really funny, if he does say so himself. 

 

Unfortunately, he’s not supposed to be funny, he’s supposed to water the plant. The special plant to Youngjae. That will most likely die. Because of Jaebum. He briefly wonders if he should buy a gravestone for the plant. Thankfully, before that train of thought can go any further, a different thought process takes over: optimism. 

 

He can do this. He promised Youngjae he would take care of the plant, so the plant will be taken care of. It’s that simple. The plant is not going to die. Even if it doesn’t smell like anything. Or even if it’s drooping a little bit already. Doesn’t matter; that plant  _ will _ live.

 

Stretching, Jaebum stands from the chair and decides to actually get to work. He gets the mail, turns off any unnecessary lights, and runs the water for a bit, saving the best (worst?) for last. Back at the table, he stares at the watering can left for him. Great. Now he’s not only talking to inanimate objects, but also having staring contests with them. Wonderful. He grabs the watering can and fills it up in the kitchen. 

 

Jaebum stands in front of the plant, once again, and steels himself. He tilts the watering can into the dirt, winces, and, nothing happens. He was half expecting it to somehow blow up, taking him with it. After the initial shock, he relaxes, and just waters the plant without any problem. He makes sure to give it  _ plenty _ of water, enough that he can see the panel underneath collecting a lot of extra water. 

 

There’s no such thing as too much water, right?

 

**\---**

 

Three weeks later, Jaebum finds out that he was wrong.

 

Wrong, wrong,  _ wrong. _

 

There  _ is _ such thing as too much water. 

 

Jaebum fishes around his laptop bag for the key he knows he put there, feeling more positive than usual today. Youngjae is due home in the next day or two, and the plant hasn’t died yet. Sure, it did look quite a bit wilted a several days ago, but it wasn’t completely  _ dead. _ After that, he made sure to give it extra water every time he visited. The plant would absorb it, and it would go back to being green, like it should. Even the last time he was there, about three days prior, he pretty much drowned the plant. He figured the plant would soak it up happily, and all would be good, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Inside the apartment, the plant is the first thing Jaebum notices. It looks horrible. Fallen leaves litter the panel and pot, while the white petals looks like they’re crusted. At a closer look, the dirt seems to still be wet. He guesses this isn’t because he didn’t water the plant for a couple days. 

 

_ What the hell happened? _

 

The logical side of Jaebum takes over, and he whips his laptop out, turning it on with ease. If he didn’t know why the plant died, then the internet would. He searched like his life depended on it; and it might as well. If the plant died, then Youngjae would be upset, and then that would make Jaebum upset, along with everyone in their friend group, and, and, -- well, it’s not pretty. 

 

So, he searched, and searched, and searched:

 

_ >reasons a plant can die _

 

_ >reasons plants die _

 

_ >dead plant _

 

_ >my plant died _

 

_ >indoor plant  _

 

_ >indoor plant synonym _

 

_ >house plant dead _

 

_ >why do house plants die _

 

The last search actually yields something helpful.  _ Sudden Plant Death: Reasons a Houseplant is Turning Brown and Dying. _ Written by Gardeningknowhow. Sounds reliable. Jaebum wonders how many people have had the same problem that there was a specific page dedicated to sudden house plant death. Probably a lot. He’s not sure if that makes him feel better or worse.

 

Jaebum skims through the article:  _ improper watering, chemicals, over-fertilization, lack of humidity, _ blah, blah, blah. None of those are any help to him. He scrolls back up to the improper watering section, ready to close out of the site, when something catches his eye. 

 

_ Too much water. _

 

“Oh my god,” Jaebum groans, forcing himself to read the rest of the way.  _ If you forgot to water for a few days, it’s possible that the roots dried up. However, the opposite is more likely, as too much water is often to blame for dying container plants. _ Jaebum feels a headache coming on. Sighing, he asks no one in particular, “Too much water is real?”

 

No one answers, but if anyone asked, he’s pretty sure the plant is giving off more of a hostile vibe than before. Smug, even. Jaebum decides he hates plants more than they hate him. But, the fact remains, this plant is Youngjae’s, and that’s motivation enough to keep this plant alive. 

 

He keeps reading.

 

_ Root rot, a result of wet, poorly drained soil, can be occurring under the surface of the soil, even if the plant looks healthy. _ That makes sense: that one time he drowned the plant, he was sure it would soak the water up easily. It didn’t, and the dirt is  _ still _ wet from that.  _ The problem is easy to see if you remove the dead plant from the pot. While healthy roots are firm and pliable, rotted roots are mushy, with a seaweed-like appearance. _

 

“Oh my god,” he repeats, his head falling into his hands. Jaebum can’t believe this. Did he really kill Youngjae’s plant by watering it  _ too _ much? What a stupid way to kill a plant. But maybe it’s not dead all the way, maybe he can still save it. This leads to the question: does it has root rot?

 

Jaebum lugs the potted plant to the kitchen sink, preparing to be totally grossed out. He’s gotta do it, though, just in case the plant can be saved. It’s unlikely, but damn it if he’s not going to hold on tightly to that hope. He carefully pulls the plant from the pot, and he gags, shoving the plant back. 

 

Yup, that sure does look like soggy seaweed. 

 

Gross.

 

After he washes his hands, it truly hits him what’s happened.  _ He killed Youngjae’s special plant. _ The plant Youngjae specifically told him he would be disappointed if it died. That same plant, and Jaebum’s killed it. Great. 

 

Maybe he won’t be too upset, though. It’s just a plant, after all. Not a big deal. 

 

Jaebum doubts it. The plant has some sentimental meaning to it for Youngjae, and everyone knows it’s rare for him to keep sentimental items. So this poor, dead, plant must have a special meaning. The same plant that Jaebum -- the one person Youngjae trusted -- killed. This isn’t good. 

 

He’s pretty sure he’s about to freak out, and that would help absolutely nothing. Jaebum takes a few deep breaths and calls the person who could help the most: Mark. The phone clicks after a few rings, a sleepy hello, and Jaebum is spluttering, “Mark, oh my god, what do I do? I think I killed Youngjae’s plant, holy shit, what do I do?”

 

“You killed what?”

 

“A plant,” he answers, “Youngjae’s plant.”

 

The line is quiet for a moment, before shuffling can be heard on the other end. Then, like Jaebum is a complete idiot, Mark drawls, “At least it was a plant, and not a person. If the plant was that important, why don’t you just buy a new plant of the same species? You know, like a kid’s goldfish dies so you buy another, and no one can tell. That type of thing.”

 

Jaebum’s speechless. The answer is so  _ simple _ and obvious, what the hell. He’s honestly annoyed he didn’t think of it himself. It’s a great idea, and he’s gonna do it. He smiles and says into the phone, “Thanks. I’m gonna go buy a plant.”

 

“You sound like you’ve decided you’re gonna go buy a house. Very determined about a big decision; I like it,” Mark laughs, but hangs up after saying, “I’m glad you didn’t kill a person. That would have sucked. Good luck, man.”

 

Even before the call ends, Jaebum’s ready to go, laptop put away and keys shoved into his pocket. He takes a picture of the plant, just to be safe; he needs to know which plant to get. Within the minute, he’s darting out of the apartment. Of course, not too quick to forget to lock the door, but still: quickly. With his phone, he finds the nearest plant nursery with relative ease.

 

Ten minutes later, he’s having troubles opening the nursery door. If anyone asks, he certainly did  _ not _ push a door with the word  _ PULL _ plastered across the front. Really, he didn’t. Finally, he stumbles inside and announces, “I need a plant.”

 

The old woman behind the counter stares at him, like she’s unsure he was in the right place. She puts down her magazine, and an exasperated smile pulls at her lips. Coming around the counter, she says, “Well, I sure hope so. Since, you know, we sell plants here. What do you need?”

 

“This type of plant,” Jaebum answers, pulling out his phone and showing the woman the picture. She glances at the picture over his shoulder and makes contemplative noises. Jaebum isn’t sure if that is a good thing. He hopes it is. 

 

“Ah, this is an easy one. It’s a shamrock plant. More specifically, the potted shamrock plant, which is basically the small version of the shamrock plant,” the saleswoman says with a smile. She zooms in on the leaves and explains, “The leaves are clover-shaped, which is where it gets its name. Many people think the plant brings luck, because of that myth of lucky four-leaf clovers.”

 

Jaebum’s fascinated by the little details about the plant, but that’s not why he’s here. He needs to know if she has another plant, and soon. “So… do you have any of these shamrock plants? I really need to buy one.”

 

“No, I’m sorry, we’re not selling those right now,” she says, and Jaebum is absolutely crushed. For the sake of being polite, he still listens to the explanation. “The shamrock plants are dormant during the summer, and we don’t sell dormant plants. Since summer just begun, we sold all the others and didn’t order a new shipment. I’m not surprised your plant died, either, since the dormant season is beginning. It’s much easier for a plant to completely die when the season starts, rather than just being dormant.”

 

Jaebum doesn’t answer. There’s nothing he can really say. He really thought all plants were fine during the summer, but apparently not. Wonderful. That’s just his luck. If this is what happened, then this plant isn’t lucky, no matter what anyone says.

 

“Would you like a new type of plant?”

 

He looks up, and she’s smiling at him, like she feels bad for him. She probably does feel bad, and just wants to help in any way. Jaebum sighs, running a hand through his hair. He glances around the inside of the nursery. Maybe something will catch his eyes and fix the whole situation. 

 

Something. 

 

Anything.

 

Then it hits him. Something does catch his eyes, but it’s not just one thing. Jaebum can’t help but smile. It’s not a fool-proof plan, but it’s best bet. He pulls out his wallet, and shakes his head at the saleswoman. With his most charming smile, he tells her, “No thanks, I don’t think I need a new plant. I have an idea.”

 

**\---**

 

Jaebum hears a very familiar voice scream his name, and he turns to see Youngjae running at him full speed. For a split second, he’s sure they’re about to collide, but his body takes over and opens his arms to catch Youngjae in a hug. As if they’ve done this a thousand times, Youngjae throws himself into the hug, and Jaebum swings him around.

 

Just like the movies.

 

The hug goes on for quite a while, long enough to look awkward to the general public. Jaebum breaks the hug for the sake of their dignity. Not because he wanted to. If he had his way, he would never have let go. 

 

Youngjae steps back, dropping his arms from the hug. The tops of his cheeks are a bit red, and Jaebum wonders if he was in the sun a lot during his trip. Youngjae clears his throat and says, “I’m sorry if that hug was a bit too long. I just -- it’s been a long time.”

 

“No, no, I didn’t -- I wasn’t -- the hug was great. Just -- you know -- people,” Jaebum says, gesturing helplessly at the crowds around him. He knows he isn’t making any sense, but at least it made Youngjae smile. Grabbing the biggest suitcase, he asks, “Did you get everything from the baggage claim?”

 

Youngjae nods, skipping along happily next to Jaebum. He’s not carrying any luggage except the backpack he’s wearing, and a small handheld bag. Jaebum’s the one stuck with the heavy lifting, but he really can’t bring himself to care. 

 

“Such a gentleman, Jaebum,” Youngjae teases, walking backwards in front of Jaebum. He would have kept walking like that too, except he backed into a pillar. Jaebum laughs, but helps Youngjae up. He smiles up at his obvious savior and says, “Thanks. You really are a gentleman. I wonder what you’ll do next?”

 

In fact, he doesn’t have to wonder for long. After dumping all of the baggage in the back seat of his car, Jaebum opens Youngjae’s door for him. Youngjae laughs and climbs in, amused. Jaebum shuts the door for an extra gentlemanly effect. 

 

Needless to say, it works.

 

Jaebum climbs in as well, and starts the car. Youngjae just stares, until he asks why he’s staring. Youngjae just grins and says, “Nothing, really. I was just wondering if I was being courted, like in those cheesy 80s movies. Do you have any flowers to give me?”

 

“A few,” Jaebum answers, fighting to keep a grimace off his face. What an absolute understatement the words  _ a few _ are. Youngjae smiles again, and settles into his seat. He seems satisfied, and Jaebum can only hope this happiness lasts another forty-five minutes. 

 

The happiness  _ does _ end up lasting up until forty-four minutes, but the biggest test has yet to happen. They haven’t actually gone into Youngjae’s apartment yet. Jaebum’s not entirely sure what’s going to happen, so he prepares himself for any type of reaction. Youngjae unlocks his door, completely oblivious to what’s about to happen. The door swings open, and even Jaebum is impressed.

 

It’s beautiful.

 

There are a million combination of flowers and plants decorating the entire apartment. Colors of every shade and variety light up the living room, and winding vines are laced throughout the kitchen. A rainbow of roses are carefully placed on the table. Everything looks so … alive. Even Jaebum, who created this, is in awe. Youngjae’s apartment has been completely remodeled into a botanical garden. 

 

Youngjae walks further into his apartment without saying anything, and Jaebum follows loyally behind him. There’s no indication of Youngjae being completely upset, but he’s also not acting as happy as he normally is. 

 

For a while, it’s just quiet. Youngjae stares at all of the different plants and flowers. Jaebum messes with the zipper on the baggage he brought in. Eventually, Youngjae turns to face Jaebum. He doesn’t look pissed, but he doesn’t look ecstatic, either. If anything, he just looks relaxed. Calm, even. 

 

“Is my plant dead?”

 

The lack of sugar-coating surprises Jaebum. Still, Youngjae doesn’t sound mad. He just … wants to know, apparently. Jaebum’s quiet for a second, before he gets the courage to mumble, “Yeah.”

 

“Did you buy all of these because my plant died?”

 

Again, Jaebum is quiet. He avoids Youngjae’s gaze, even though there’s no hostility. If anything, he feels disappointed in himself. He killed Youngjae’s plant, and now Youngjae’s mad because Jaebum thought any plant could replace his stupid shamrock plant. None of this is said aloud, of course; instead, Jaebum says, “Yeah. Is that … okay?”

 

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Youngjae answers, and Jaebum looks up in surprise. Did he hear correctly? Youngjae is okay with all of this? That can’t be right. He killed Youngjae’s plant! How can he be forgiven so quickly? The confusion must be evident on his face, because Youngjae just smiles and explains, “It’s okay, because all of these are from  _ you.” _

 

Jaebum’s pretty sure he’s died and gone to heaven. Maybe Youngjae had actually been mad and killed him, and that’s how he’s in heaven now. Because if this isn’t heaven, then that means Youngjae is  _ flirting _ with him, and  _ oh _ my  _ god, _ Youngjae’s  _ flirting with him! _

 

It takes a few second, but Jaebum’s brain finally comes back from being fried, and he’s moving towards the dining table. Youngjae follows with curiosity, and Jaebum turns back with a smile. This next move is crucial, it could make or break this whole thing. Still, with courage, Jaebum brushes Youngjae’s hair out of his eyes and behind his ear. Jaebum holds his breath as he places a rose he picked from the table behind Youngjae’s ear.

 

He looks perfect.

 

But then again, doesn’t Youngjae always look perfect?

 

Hint: the answer is yes.

 

Jaebum doesn’t say anything, just admires his handiwork with a grin and appreciates how breathtakingly beautiful Youngjae truly is. Youngjae removes Jaebum’s hand from his face. For a brief second, he thinks he’s being rejected, but,  _ oh, _ nope, this is  _ much _ better. A warm hand brushes Jaebum’s cheek, and Youngjae places a rose behind his ear as well. A rose of the same color. This is definitely much better than being rejected.

 

Youngjae takes a look at the handiwork of his own, and laughs. Jaebum probably looks funny with a rose in his hair, he doesn’t have the skill of looking good in everything that Youngjae does. The rose probably looks out of place, but Youngjae is smiling, so Jaebum really doesn’t care. 

 

Youngjae doesn’t remove his hand, either, he just keeps caressing Jaebum’s cheek. Jaebum can’t say he dislikes it. Youngjae stares at him for a bit longer, many expressions flitting across his face. Happiness, laughter, endearment, anxiety. The last one doesn’t make sense, until Jaebum sees Youngjae’s hands bunched in his shirt. He’s trying to gather the courage to do something.

 

But do  _ what? _

 

Jaebum doesn’t have to wait long to find out.

 

Youngjae pulls at the rose behind Jaebum’s ear playfully, and smiles up at him. The rose is kind of itchy right against his scalp, but whatever. Youngjae’s smile falters for just a second, but then he looks determined. Here it is. With a deep breath, Youngjae says, “There. With this rose in your hair, you’re a part of the botanical garden you gave me. That means I can have you, too, right?”

 

“Hell yeah you can have me,” Jaebum says, without even the tiniest trace of hesitation. He’s just glad he censored the rest of what he wanted to say. What he wanted to scream off a rooftop, even, that hell yes Youngjae can have him. 

 

Youngjae grins and Jaebum’s suddenly glad he killed the plant. Maybe that obnoxious plant was truly lucky, after all. Jaebum ends up deciding that, yes, that plant was lucky, because suddenly he’s being pulled down into a kiss by Youngjae. Yup. Lucky. Definitely. 

 

After the kiss, Jaebum just holds Youngjae in his arms. So what if they sway back and forth, they’re allowed to do that now. Jaebum smiles into Youngjae’s cheek. The redness, by the way, not a sunburn. He turns his head and leaves a chaste kiss on Youngjae’s cheek, mumbling, “I’ve always been yours, you know.”

 

“Oh my god, that was so cheesy,” Youngjae says, and Jaebum can feel the laughter before he even hears it. They shift in the hug long enough for Youngjae to smack him on the shoulder for being too dorky. Of course, that doesn’t mean Youngjae isn’t just as cheesy, because he totally is. Especially when he whispers back, “I know.”

 

\---

 

Days later, they’re sitting on the couch in the apartment, surrounded by plants. The plants are truly beautiful, and Jaebum briefly wonders if he should start charging people to come see the apartment. He’d get some customers, right? Ah, but that would require taking care of the plants, and everyone knows how  _ that _ would go.

 

“What are you thinking so intently about?” Youngjae asks, kicking Jaebum for his attention. He tries to turn to Youngjae, but an elephant leaf smacks him in the face. Wonderful. Even now, plants are his nemesis. Youngjae laughs and says, “You look like dumbo with those leaves behind you.”

 

“Am I a cute elephant?”

 

“No.”

 

“Of course I am,” Jaebum says, ignoring anything Youngjae says. Sure, he might kill plants all the time, but that doesn’t mean Youngjae can circulate this slander of him being an ugly elephant. It just wasn’t fair. “No, but really, I was thinking about the plants. You’re not going to ask me to take care of these, too, right?”

 

Youngjae stares at him like he’s stupid. Okay, so  _ maybe _ it’s a stupid question with an obvious answer, but he can’t be too safe. Youngjae slumps his head against the couch and bursts into giggles. Jaebum can’t decide if he’s offended by the laughter or find it endearing. After he’s finished laughing, Youngjae scoots over to rest his head on Jaebum’s shoulder. 

 

“The only thing you need to take care of is  _ me.” _

 

Jaebum snorts. Of course he’d say that. Jaebum pretends to yawn, and wraps an arm around Youngjae. Everyone likes that cliche, even if they say they don’t. It’s a universal fact. With the arm wrapped around Youngjae’s shoulder, he pulls them closer together, and says, “Will do.”

 

He does. 

 

For the rest of their lives, he does.

 

Of course, there are plenty of dead plants along the way.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> so the potted shamrock plant that youngjae owned is actually real, and this is what it looks like: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/shamrock/growing-shamrock-plants.htm  
> also, the website jb searched on about dying plants is also real. it can be located here: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/hpgen/sudden-plant-death.htm


End file.
